Jojo Rabbit (2019) Review!!

Synopsis – A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

My Take – Sadly, we live in a time when two of the most powerful countries in the world, U.S.A and India, are run by two dictators who under the disguise of democracy are preaching hate and intolerance under the guise of terms such as nationalism and patriotism, and using their political regression to promote racism and xenophobia to the extreme.

While their currently powerless political rivals are doing precisely nothing to curtail them other than condemn them in media, it seems entirely fitting that a film set in a time where hate was the go word for almost everything releases, and showcase how love, tolerance, and kindness can null and void the whole system.

Based loosely on the 2004 novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, this controversial film, which upon release found a certain amount of divisiveness among critics, considering its premise and execution, is probably one of the most of curious films I have ever seen in my lifetime, a film which only an auteur like Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor: Ragnarok) could pull off.

Yes, while some will scoff at the idea and relay disgust after seeing the film, especially for its humor, I personally was pleasantly surprised on how emotional and thought provoking he made this film while keeping it very funny without going too far. It doesn’t allow itself to wallow in melodrama, and instead trusts that its grip on affecting innocence resounds immensely, hereby making it is one of the funniest and most heart-warming films ever made.

Set in 1945, the final year of WWII, the story follows Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a 10-year old boy who lives with his whimsical mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson), in the fictional town of Falkenhem, and dreams of fighting for Nazi Germany, like his father who has been away in France for a while. Even at such a young age, Jojo is such a blind fanatic that he imagines Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi) as his best friend, and along with his second best friend, Yorki (Archie Yates) attends a Hitlerjugend camp run by the cynical Cpt. Klenzendorf (Sam Rockwell), who was forced to leave the front line upon losing an eye, and his lieutenants Fraulein Rahm (Rebel Wilson), who boasts of having 18 Aryan babies and Finkel (Alfie Allen), a violent psychopath.

However, after an accident with a grenade, Jojo is sent home, but when he recovers, Rosie persuades Klenzendorf, who was also demoted after the incident, to give him some work, and finds himself employed to distribute propaganda around town. Life at first is dull, but things change quickly when he learns that his mother has been hiding a young Jewish girl, Elsa Korr (Thomasin McKenzie), in the crawlspace of his dead sister’s room.

What surprises Jojo the most is that Elsa shows none of the characteristics that he has been brainwashed into believing all Jews possess. For example, she has no horns, flashes a good sense of humor, and is actually very knowledgeable. As their real friendship grows, the hold of Jojo’s imaginary friend, the leader of Nazi Germany, on his beliefs and ideals begins weakening.

Yes, the film is funny and heavy, and deals with some thought-provoking matter in an unusual way. In fact, it is one of the rarest of films, a comedy where the serious moments feel completely earned and a drama where the comedy enhances the seriousness. Seemingly taking inspiration from the works of filmmakers like Wes Anderson and Mel Brooks, here, director Taika Waititi, mixes slapstick, caricature, satire, dramatic irony, and hope, that manages to be hilarious while not disrespecting its touchy subject matter.

The film also boasts some killer cinematography as well as a wonderful soundtrack, both of which punctuate some of the films quieter moments to ground us in the era and atmosphere of the film.

Here, director Taika Waititi pokes fun at Nazi’s beliefs and ideals but at the same time never forgets to embrace the deeper themes and emotional bleakness of WW2. The film takes pleasure in making Nazis the butt of the joke from showing them being over-committed to saluting each other for just a simple introduction to their obliviousness of believing any stupid fake news they are told came from Hilter himself.

However, when the film subtlety moves away from that it show how the true ugliness of the world, as Nazi Germany gets desperate to hold their ground against the Allied forces.

At point where director Waititi slows down on the humor and allows moments of shock and drama to settle in to remind the audience what is the horrible cost of ignorance and blind faith. Seen through the eyes of a boy’s misguided fantasy and faith, the film shows how easy it is for society to be manipulated into hating minorities, religions and/or groups of people especially when propaganda is present, forcing us to believe what we see, and never think about what’s behind the curtain.

Here, Cpt. Klenzendorf’s arc left a surprising impact. Introduced as a hyperbolic caricature, the source of some of the film’s biggest early laughs, as things progress, we realize there’s considerably more to his character than initially thought, and he commands what’s easily the most moving scene in the whole film.

This is Jojo’s story, however, with much of the run time concerned with his attempts to rationalize the cognitive dissonance between what he’s been taught and what he can see with his own eyes. And by the end of the day he shows that compassion and love are still worth embracing in a cruel world so as long as we are able to confront to cruelty in ourselves first.

If I were to criticize any element of the film, it would be that the film undeniably glosses over some of the more horrific atrocities carried out during the War. The Nazis in the film are, by design, cartoonish, which is done so as to render them as easily dismissed figures to be scorned. The reality, of course, was far darker, and it certainly wouldn’t have hurt to have at least one Nazi who isn’t a joke.

The performances are really strong here. Roman Griffin Davis carries a significant weight in the story despite being a first time actor, and I can’t emphasize enough how young Archie Yates will steal your heart while he’s stealing his scenes, while Thomasin McKenzie proves once again how she is quickly becoming a powerhouse young actor. In other roles, Scarlett Johansson is excellent as always, so are Sam Rockwell, Alfie Allen and Rebel Wilson.

Stephen Merchant also leaves a deep mark in his brief appearance. However, the biggest highlight of the film is Taika Waititi himself as the Charles Chaplin stylized version of Hitler, who with his comic act, brings out most of the laughs here. On the whole, ‘Jojo Rabbit’ is a truly timely film that manages to be emotionally devastating, and at the same time hilarious and hopeful.